


I'm Dreaming of a Dark (Side) Christmas

by ArteaCactus



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Are Twins, Creativity | Roman Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus Sanders Have A Good Relationship, Dark Sides As Family (Sanders Sides), Family Fluff, Fluff, Interior Decorating, Light Sides As Family (Sanders Sides), remus and janus tag bc theyre the main focus ig?, slight remus and roman angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28441752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArteaCactus/pseuds/ArteaCactus
Summary: The Light Sides join Janus and Remus for Christmas.
Relationships: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders
Comments: 4
Kudos: 64





	I'm Dreaming of a Dark (Side) Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> un-beta'd, a really short little thing that i wrote on tumblr :) i really want to expand on this maybe! if anyone would care to read it that is?? <3 enjoy!

Despite Janus’ newfound ‘acceptance’, he didn’t expect to be invited along to any of their holiday celebrations, much less with Remus in tow. 

So when he heard a knock at the door that separated the Dark Side of the Mind Palace from the Light Side while he was dressed in his Christmas sweater and sitting on Remus’ shoulders to put up the dangling lights across the ceiling, he nearly fell in surprise (and would have if Remus didn’t have such a white-knuckled grip on his legs).

Unfortunately, he couldn’t climb off Remus’ shoulders fast enough before Remus ran over to the door and whipped it open, Janus still holding a ball of tangled lights in his hands, and revealed a startled group of Sides on the other side.

Janus struggled to keep heat from rising to his face as the newcomers took in the scene, and tried (but failed) to sound intimidating as he spoke, “What are you lot doing here?”

“They wanted to come and ask to spend Christmas with you guys.. down _here_ ,” Virgil muttered, clearly not happy about being back in the place he grew up and having to _stay_ there for a while, but the others seemed happy as can be (sans Logan, who looked as indifferent as ever).

Janus was opening his mouth to decline and send them on their merry way, _literally_ , but Remus had perked up under him and stopped him right in his tracks. 

Remus, from a young age, had always wanted to spend a Christmas with his brother, even just once, and now the opportunity was _actually_ presenting itself- Janus truly couldn’t bear to disappoint him like that.

So, he geared himself up, internally sighed, and cracked a toothy grin that was perhaps a little _too_ menacing (or as menacing as he could look in a Christmas sweater), and instead said, “Of course, we’d be happy to have you.”

Remus hurriedly dropped Janus to the floor (which, despite how humiliating it had been, Janus was _slightly_ indignant about- he hadn’t gotten to hanging the ceiling lights yet!), and gripped Roman by the arm, pulling him inside the living room. “We’re still decorating- you all can help now!”

The others (except for Virgil, who had experienced _most_ of his Christmasses with Janus and Remus and was entirely aware of how hard they went for holidays) seemed genuinely shocked at the state of the Dark Side and simply stood still for a few moments, taking it all in.

There were garlands over every doorway, ornaments and ribbons decorating them. Black wreaths decorated the bedroom doors, yellow decor on Janus’, green on Remus’, and even purple for Virgil’s abandoned room. All the cabinet doors in the kitchen had wrapping paper and bows on them to look like gifts, and the table had a holiday table cloth decorating it. There were various figurines and even a nativity scene set across the tables and countertops. The couch had the cushions and blankets draped across it replaced with holiday-themed ones instead. The corner of the television had a Santa hat sitting on the corner (for drinking games, of course). The windows were lined with glittering lights. On the wall above the couch, sandwiched between the family portraits and Remus’ framed drawings, were stockings- three of them, despite the fact that one was dusty and unused. 

And tucked neatly in the corner, a tall, proud pine tree stood, decorated with strings of popcorn and cranberries (with the occasional eyeball), pretty ribbons, glittery ornaments, and colorful lights. The star on the top of the tree was an intricately designed star made of wire (made by Virgil, when he was younger) that fit snugly to the tree like it was meant to be there.

“Forgive the unfinished state of the house, I was just about to hang the ceiling lights when you knocked,” Janus said, turning his attention back to the tangled ball of Christmas lights in his hands, painstakingly pulling them all apart, trying to ignore the fact they were all studying his home.

“Unfinished?” Roman sputtered, “I think you might go more all-out than _we_ do!”

“Yeah,” Remus hummed, clearly just happy to have Roman there and not giving two shits about the state of the house, “Well, family time means a _lot_ to us Dark Sides, so we take holidays _very_ seriously. But we _really_ go hard on Halloween.” He chortled gleefully, and Janus rolled is eyes, “Yes, well, Remus, darling, these lights need put up, if you will?”

“I thought you were doing that!” Remus exclaimed indignantly, but obediently padded over and took the lights from Janus, tearing them apart with far less delicacy. 

“I _was_ but then you put me down and I can’t reach the ceiling myself,” Janus muttered under his breath, then said louder, “Besides, I need to get started on preparing the desserts and dinner for tonight, and I can’t trust you with food.”

Remus didn’t reply, because he was busy muttering curses at the tangled lights as he tore at them to get them laid out neatly for decorating, and much to his delight, Logan came over to help.

“Would you mind if Roman and I helped with dinner and desserts?” Patton chipped in hopefully, eyes bright, and despite his endless grudges, Janus couldn’t tell him no. 

So, he agreed, and rolled up his sleeves as he entered the kitchen, feeling self-conscious with his lack of gloves to hide his scaled hand and clawed fingers (thankfully, they didn’t mention anything), and started giving Roman instructions for ham and turkey, while he let Patton go nuts with cookies. Privately, he was grateful for the help, because it took ages for him to get all the food done usually (considering Remus is a bottomless pit), but he wouldn’t say it aloud.

Though everyone seemed happy to dive headfirst into the Christmas prep, Virgil hung around awkwardly by the door, looking unsure and nervous, and his gaze kept drifting between the purple-and-black wreath and his dusty patchwork stocking hanging on the wall. 

Remus took note of this, and grabbed an ornament that was laying half-broken on the floor, and threw it at Virgil.

It bounced harmlessly off his arm, but it caught his attention well enough, and Remus stuck his tongue out at him, “Hey, emo, you’re in charge of the music.”

Recognition and nostalgia burned at Virgil, and he nodded minutely before shuffling over to the old gramophone, hesitantly picking through the records that sat in the box beneath it. 

Eventually, he pulled out a dusty Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack vinyl and set it up to play, and as the music began to fill the Dark Side, he relaxed and began to feel like he was visiting home rather than being in a memory-packed prison, and gladly assisted in decorating.

Janus stood off to the side, watching his dreary little part of the Mind Palace become filled with laughter and smiles as lights were strung across the ceilings, the smell of smoked ham and sweet sugar cookies floating through the air, his old family and new family talking and joking together like they’d never been apart in the first place, and felt a beaming smile stretch across his face despite his efforts to keep it down. 

It _was_ a merry Christmas after all.

**Author's Note:**

> please feel free to leave kudos and/or comments, i appreciate them immensely!


End file.
